A Rose's Thorns
by kittyluv
Summary: Kurama is feeling nervous about his control over his demon plants in his human form, so he works on a potion to help. But what happens when he is kidnapped and faced with the person he fears the most? How will his friends help him through it?
1. Bad News in Prison

Hi everyone!

This is the first time I have put one of my stories on the internet. So I hope you enjoy it!

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

A/N: This story is not completely based on the show. I have added a few non-existent points to make it more interesting, but those shouldn't really take effect until around chapter 8. Also, the first few parts of this story may sound a little yaoi between Kurama and Hiei, but IT IS NOT! You'll understand in later chapters.

On with the fic!

A Rose's Thorns

BOOM! Demons and ogres yelled in fear and pain as bombs exploded all around the Spirit World Prison's maximum security section. As the dust started to settle, one shadowy figure could be seen easily making its way through the dead bodies to the door. The only thing heard through the dead silence was one whispered threat.

"_I'm coming for you my sweet kitsune."_

_XxX_

"Koenma sir!" Ogre panted as he ran into the office.

"Yes, yes, come back from the dead, why not?" Koenma was stamping papers, barely reading what they say and not seeming to care what he approved.

"Koenma, there has been a jail break!" Ogre yelled.

"WHAT?" Koenma finally looked up at the blue ogre in front of him. "WHERE?"

"The maximum security cell. One of the prisoners was somehow able to get a hold of some bombs."

The hairs on the back of Koenma's neck stood on end as he said, a little weaker than before, "Did anyone escape?"

"One Sir," Ogre said hesitantly.

"Who?" Koenma squeaked.

Ogre stepped forward and whispered a name in Koenma's ear, causing the young Demi-God to pale to a ghost white. "GET YUSKUE DOWN HERE! AND MAKE SURE WE KNOW WHERE KURAMA IS AT ALL TIMES!"

"Yes Sir!" Ogre ran out the door screaming, "BOTAN!"

Koenma sat back down in a shocked state. "I hope our team will be alright after this. Especially Kurama."

XxX

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE HAS BEEN A JAIL BREAK?" Yusuke yelled when he, Kuwabara, and surprisingly, Hiei were all in Koenma's office with Botan.

Koenma seemed to be much paler than usual when he spoke. "One of the demons in the maximum security section of our prison caused a huge explosion and was able to escape during the confusion."

"Well what're we suppose to do about it?" Yusuke was fuming, "And where's Kurama? I never thought I'd see Hiei here without having to be brought here by Kurama." Hiei just gave a quiet "Hn" and didn't move from his corner in the shadows.

"We haven't been able to find Kurama," Botan said, her usually bubbly attitude toned down to a worried whisper, "We checked his home and the park where he usually goes, but he was nowhere in sight."

"We won't need him," Kuwabara said cockily, "I, the Great Kazuma Kuwabara, will be able to take down this demon on my-"

"NO! WE NEED TO FIND KURAMA!" Koenma yelled suddenly, causing everyone in the room to flinch.

"Whoa, calm down Koenma," Yusuke said, "I don't see what the problem is. Kurama can take care of himself."

"This has something to do with that demon that escaped, doesn't it?"

Everyone in the room jumped at the voice coming from the shadows. Hiei took a step off the wall and came into the light, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes dead set on the Demi-God behind his desk.

"Well, the wall ornament speaks," Yusuke joked.

"Quit with the jokes detective," Hiei said with annoyance, "The pipsqueak isn't telling us everything."

Everyone's attention was back on Koenma as he spoke softly. "Yes, it has everything to do with him. The demon who escaped was-"

Yusuke, Kuwabara and Botan all took a step backwards in fear and Hiei barely held back a growl at the name. Yusuke began shaking in fear. "_Of everyone in that jail, it just had to be him." _

"We have to find Kurama! Why are you just now telling us this? If that monster finds him, he might be too shocked to escape!" Botan yelled.

"Cool it Botan," Yusuke said, "We'll find 'im. If he isn't at home or the park, he's probably still at his school. Let's go." He led the three out of the room and Hiei flitted out a second later, leaving Koenma in the room alone, scared to death for the safety of their fox teammate.

XxX

A/N: I hope you have enjoyed it so far. And no offense to anyone but myself, if you don't know who the escapee is with all the obvious statements I made, you need a big reality check. I have the story in my notebook, so I will update as quickly as possible. (Reviews make me move even faster.) P


	2. Missing

I'm back!

Yeah! I put this story up, then the next day, I already had 2 reviews!! Thanks to KaraKurama, you were the first!

What2callmyself, I tried your tip, but I doubt it looks very good. If you still wanna be my beta, that would be great. E-mail me your info, and you'll get my story soon.

Okay, nuf said. Back to the story!

A Rose's Thorns

It was only about two hours after Mieo High School's classes ended, but barely anyone was left in it's hallways. Suuichi Minnamino sat in a science lab alone, working with a few vials and beakers full of different liquids. With a movement that came naturally, he passed his hand through his hair and a rose appeared in his hand. _"If this works, I should be able to control both the Ningankai and Makai plants fully in my human form. Then I should be strong enough for the others to not have to worry about me when I use them. " _Kurama placed his free hand on a small stone around his neck. It was a hiruseki stone Yukina had given him awhile earlier._ "Yukina. I wish I could tell you how I feel about you."_ His other hand moved along the bottles in front of him. All of the liquids he was using were different essences and juices from the plants he used in battle, plus a few extra that he had just recently picked up. But Kurama couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He suddenly froze dead when a burst of energy appeared behind him. He knew the energy, but he was too shocked to move.

A pair of slender hands suddenly appeared and barely touched the sides of his neck. A strong tingling feeling passed where the fingers touched as a voice whispered, "Hello my sweet fox. I told you I would be back for you."

Kurama still couldn't move as the hands caressed his neck. "K-Karasu."

"Yes, my kitsune. I'm flattered that you remember me."

Kurama suddenly felt the chain around his neck snap as Karasu pulled it off. Karasu inspected the stone. "This is from the little ice maiden, am I right? She must be very special to you, but you're mine now."

Kurama's eyes widened as Karasu threw the stone across the table and caressed Kurama's face again. "You have gotten much stronger since I last saw you Kurama."

Kurama was finally able to move enough to turn around. Karasu looked exactly as he had almost a year earlier, especially the gleam in his violet eyes. Underneath his mask, Karasu had a big smile. "Lets go my sweet fox. We don't want a show, now do we?" With movements too fast for Kurama to see in his shocked state, he punched Kurama hard in the stomach, causing the fox to lurched forward and fall unconscious into the crow's arms. Karasu laughed quietly as he picked up the unconscious form into his arms and jumped out the open window.

Not even a minute later, Yuskue, Botan, Kuwabara, and Hiei jumped in through the window. One look around the empty room and everyone became very tense. "He isn't here," Botan whispered, "but his energy was here just a second ago."

Hiei walked up to the table and picked up one of the bottles. Gently sniffing the contents, he grunted, "This is an extract from Kurama's Death Tree. All of these containers are from his plants."

"Kurama wouldn't just leave something this dangerous lying around where anyone could get them," Yuskue said in worry. "I think we're too late."

Hiei growled quietly, deep in his throat. His blood was starting to boil at the thought of his closest friend trapped in the hands of his worst fears. "_That demented crow, if he hurts that fox at all, he will pay dearly. No one deserves to have their worst nightmares come true, especially Kurama."_ Hiei thought about the nights he had gone to Kurama's home late at night after the Dark Tournament and saw the demon toss and turn in a restless sleep.

_After seeing this happen for months straight, he cornered the fox and made him tell what was wrong. "I have been having nightmares since our return from the Drak Tournament Hiei." He had said. "In every one, Karasu had returned and captured me. I do not wish to tell what he did to me once he had me though, I do not want to give you the same nightmares." _

_But Hiei had seen them. Every night he would watch the fox frantically fight the dream, then he would use his Jagan Eye and enter the dream. He saw the beatings and the torture that his closest friend was put through. And every night he would try to help, but he was like a ghost in the dreams and would just pass right through everyone and everything._

Hiei snapped out of his thoughts as he realized he was wasting time. Ripping off his headband, he opened his Jagan and searched for his friend's energy. "_I can't find him."_

"Did you find anything Hiei?" He opened his eyes and saw Yuskue looking down at him.

"Karasu is hiding his energy and Kurama's. I can't find either one."

"What do we do now?" Kuwabara asked. "If we don't find them soon, it might be too late."

"Don't say that!" Everyone turned and saw the tears flowling freely down Botan's cheeks. "I won't hear of it. We will find Kurama before that filthy crow can do anything to him."

"Botan," Yuskue said quietly. "Is there any way we can find him?"

Botan was shaking as she tried to control her crying. She suddenly looked up, "Yes there is! It's back in Rekai."

"Lets go." They turned to Hiei and saw that he had placed all of Kurama's plant extracts in a container and was walking toward the window.

_"He's really worried about him."_ Yuskue thought to himself as he led the other two out of the door.

Something suddenly caught Hiei's attention. Hidden in the shadows on the other end of the table, was a hiruseki stone on a gold chain. _"Yukina gave this to Kurama."_ Without another thought, he slipped it in a pocket and ran to the door.

A/N: Okay, there's part two. If you are reading this, then I guess you like it so far, but I love to hear it in reviews. I'll update as soon as I can.


	3. Time Will Tell

Hi ya! Sorry I haven't updated for so long! We've been having internet troubles. Newayz. To my reviewers!

Kage Kitsune 27: Thanx. Sorry, this story takes place a few months after the Dark Tournament. I didn't do the whole Sensui thing.

Karakurama: Thanx for the idea, but I don't have a place right now. I'll keep you in mind for another story.

Silverwolf: Thanx;D

What2callmyself: It looks good. I don't know what I'd do without you.

All right. Nuff with the formalities; after the disclaimer:

I sent in a request to buy Yu Yu Hakusho, but all I got back was a cassette tape with maniacal laughter and a note that said "Yeah right". I cried for the rest of the night. (takes deep breath) Okay, I'm good now. On with the chappie!

XxX

Kurama's vision came back slowly, until he found himself lying in a cage inside a pitch black room. He tried to sit up, but clutched his stomach in pain, and he recognized the sticky feeling of blood. "How did he punch me that hard?" he asked himself.

A door opened suddenly, causing light to flood the room, and also caused Kurama to shut his eyes tightly in order to keep from being blinded. Before he could recover from the sudden intrusion, Kurama felt someone pick him up by the neck and hold him off the ground. He opened his eyes only to be met with a pair of deep violet ones.

Karasu laughed maniacally at the look of fear that filled Kurama's emerald orbs. "Now, don't be afraid my sweet kitsune, you knew this day was coming ever since the Dark Tournament ended."

Kurama's eyes grew wide as he realized, "You were the one who started those dreams."

Karasu gave a twisted smile, "Oh, those weren't dreams my sweet, those are mere visions of the fun you will have with me."

Kurama's eyes grew even wider as Karasu's grip tightened around his neck. "And now, you just rest my precious. I will be back for you soon and then the fun will begin." Darkness threatened to take over Kurama's vision as he looked into the face before him. The darkness won and he fainted.

Karasu laughed as he let the limp and unresisting body drop to the ground and walked out of the room; leaving the defenseless fox in the darkness.

XxX

"This is taking too long!" Yusuke yelled as he paced back and forth in Koenma's office.

Botan had gone to Records and discovered a large file labeled, 'Karasu' and she and Koenma were now searching through it.

"Slow down Yusuke," Botan said as she shuffled around some papers, "This file should tell us if Karasu ever had a hideout and where it would be."

Hiei sat on the windowsill. He had fallen into memories from Kurama's nightmares again, and they were starting to get worse.

XxX

"Hiei, please help me."

A deep and amused laugh filled the room. "He isn't going to help you Kurama. I'm your only friend now."

Hiei watched as his closest friend's mangled and bleeding body was thrown to the ground. "I don't remember seeing this dream!" he thought.

"Yusuke. Hiei, please. Help me."

"I'm here fox," Hiei found himself saying, but Kurama couldn't hear him. He could see that Kurama's body was deeply gashed and bleeding profusely while both of his legs seemed to be broken.

"Please, let this nightmare end," he heard Kurama whimper, causing Hiei to worry even more, as Kurama would never let his emotions show in front of an enemy.

Karasu laughed loudly as he knelt by the poor fox's head. "Oh, this isn't a dream my precious kitsune, this is a reality, and no one can help you."

Hiei's blood was already boiling as he ran at the crow, but he passed right through him and landed next to Kurama. He almost burst into tears when he heard his best friend's pain-filled cries.

"Hiei, Yukina, I'm sorry. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan. I tried." With that, Kurama collapsed and Hiei was thrown from the dream.

XxX

Hiei almost fell off the windowsill as he jerked awake. "Those aren't memories. Those are real and happening to him right now!" he thought. He flung himself around and looked at the other occupants in the room.

"Yusuke, Kurama is being tortured right now. We have to go."

"How do you know that Shorty?"

Hiei glared at Kuwabara, "Because you oaf, I just saw it happen, altough I still can't trace where it's coming from."

"But I can!"

Everyone turned around to face Koenma as he held up one of the many papers. "He has a lair in the Makai! I'm sure that's where he would have taken Kurama!"

"Give me that." Yuskue roughly grabbed the paper and he, Kuwabara, and Botan flew out the door, but not before Hiei, who had seen the paper through his Jagan had already left.

XxX

Karasu sneered slightly as he walked toward the room at the end of the hall. "I'm having so much fun. Let's see what we can do today." He opened the door and walked in. The body of his precious fox lay in the cage, unmoving and absolutely still. "Time to wake up Kurama. We're going to have some fun now."

Kurama's eyes snapped open as the door to the cage opened. A dark figure kneeled over his head and gently caressed his shirtless back and neck. "It took so long for you to cry and beg these past few times Kurama. How long will you last this time?" Cooed the figure. Kurama channeled all of the energy he had left and jumped away from the icy hands and onto his unsteady legs.

Karasu had an amused look on his face. "Now, now Kurama. Don't struggle like that, you'll only hurt yourself." He stood to come closer, but froze as Kurama pulled a rose out of his hair and created a whip.

Karasu's eyes lit up, "Well, this is different; I didn't think you had the energy to create a rose whip. You seem to have grown a bit stronger since we last met; I'm impressed, but it won't help you. I think I found something entertaining to do today." He suddenly disappeared. Kurama felt the whip jerked out of his hands before the crow reappeared. "You can have the pleasure of feeling your own weapon used against you."

Kurama had no time to react before the whip wrapped around his ankle and catapulted him across the room, landing on his stomach. He yelped in pain from the raw, bloody gash on his stomach, but quickly forgot about it as the long thorns of the whip dug into his back.

The minutes past like centuries for the poor kitsune as the whip tore through the delicate skin of his back. He bit his lip until it started to bleed; he wouldn't give Karasu the pleasure of hearing him yell in agony. The whipping continued and while Kurama continued to fight him, but after ten minutes, Kurama couldn't hold it in anymore and screamed in pain.

Karasu laughed loudly, "That's better Kurama. I missed the sounds of your fear from the Dark Tournament. Let's hear it again." Karasu continued for another five minutes, but Kurama didn't yell again. "Come on dear fox, I said I wanted to hear it again." He brought his hand high over his head and was about to strike, when the room burst with the energy of another demon. When the whip was only inches from Kurama's back, something suddenly flew across the room and tackled Karasu to the floor.

The light from the opened door was blinding, forcing Kurama to keep his eyes shut tightly. He was starting to shake uncontrollably from shock and the cold of the stone floor beneath his bare stomach. His body jumped and protested in pain as a pair of hands touched his shoulders. However, these hands were warm and caring. "It's alright now fox," the voice said quietly and soothingly. Kurama relaxed under the touch of the familiar voice.

"Hi-ei," Kurama whispered in relief, barely able to get the word out.

"Yes Kurama, it's me. Now rest." Kurama felt a soft fabric laid carefully over his back. He lost consciousness knowing he would be safe.

XxX

Hiei ran across the Makai until he found the crow's lair; the entrance being a door in the side of a huge mountain. He unsheathed his sword and in two strokes, the door crashed to the and he walked in. Hiei was surprised to see that this was no cave, but what looked like the inside of an office building; filled with winding halls and millions of doors. 1

Now inside, Hiei could feel both of Karasu and Kurama's energy. Hiei's eyes widened as he felt what little energy the fox spirit was emitting. He followed the energy to a hall where he heard a terrible scream that could only come from his friend. A maniacal laughter followed soon after. "That's better Kurama. Now, lets hear it again." The voices were still very quiet, and Hiei ran as fast as he could toward them.

Hiei started to think he had gone the wrong way, until he heard the voice again. "Come on dear fox, I said I wanted to hear it again."

Hiei found the door and burst through it. The room filled with light and he saw Karasu standing over Kurama's prone form, holding the whip that Hiei had come to know so well. His blood boiled over as ran forward and launched himself at Karasu, knocking the crow to the ground. Hiei jumped off the stunned Karasu and ran to the motionless form across the room. He hesitated when he saw how badly Kurama's shirtless back was slashed and the other wounds that covered his arms, neck and face. Kurama's hair was a dull shadow of itself, matted to the fox's face with blood and dirt. Hiei knelt down and carefully touched his friend's shoulders to try and wake him. Kurama's freezing cold body jumped under his touch. Hiei let a small smile of relief show before it quickly disappeared. "It's alright now fox," he said quietly. He felt the tense and sore muscles under his fingers relax as Kurama recognized him before passing out.

XxX

1- I think corporations do that on purpose. You wander along until you are lost and then you forget what you're there for and then wind up getting roped into something (Whatcallmyself's comment, but I totally agree.)

Yeah! 5 whole pages! You are all still sticking with me! You love me, you really love me! (Takes another deep breath) Okay, I've had too much sugar, wait a sec, I don't eat sugar. ? Oh well! I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can! Bye!

Kittyluv


	4. Found

Hi ya!

This is so much fun! I didn't think I would have much feedback for my first time uploading a story. Thanks to you guys who reviewed. I would say a little more, but I'm feeling really lazy right now.

I got bored and was able to get some time to put this up, so I hope you enjoy it.

I don't own the characters, and I never will. Thank you.

"Hi-ei." came a soft call.

"He's alright." Hiei sighed in relief. "Yes Kurama, it's me. Now rest."

Hiei stood up and pulled off his cloak. Careful not to jar the wounds caused by the whipping, he knelt down and covered the shaking fox's back as he felt Kurama lose consciousness. "Don't worry, I will take care of your fears." He whispered.

He turned back to Karasu as he rose from the floor. Suddenly, three new energies filled the room and Hiei heard voices coming from behind him.

"Hiei!" Yusuke yelled as he ran through the open door.

Hiei was standing in the middle of the room, his cloak was gone to reveal a light blue tank top, and he was staring straight at Karasu. The crow was lazily returning the gaze, but then shifted it to take in everyone in the room.

"What happened to Hiei's cloak?" Yusuke thought.

Botan suddenly gasped from her place beside Yusuke and ran into the room. Yusuke's gaze followed her and what he saw next made his heart plummet. Hidden in the shadows of a corner next to the door and concealed under the dark cloak usually worn by the fire demon, was the pale form of their missing friend. "Kurama," he breathed in fear as he and Kuwabara sped over to him.

Botan fell to her knees next to the kitsune and exclaimed worriedly, "Kurama, please be alright! Kurama?" She placed her hand on his back to try and rouse him, but jerked her hand away as Kurama's body jolted, seemingly in pain. "What?" she asked in confusion.

Kuwabara had seen the fox's reaction to the touch and grimaced. "Please don't tell me…" he whispered as he picked up the corner of the cloak and slowly pulled it off Kurama's back. The garment clung to the fox's body because of blood. All three detectives gasped loudly at the deep whiplashes that covered their best friend's back.

"We have to get him out of here," Botan whimpered.

Yusuke looked up at the two standing in the center of the room. Neither crow, nor Koorime had moved an inch since the three had entered.  
"Hiei, we have to get Kurama back before these wounds become infected."

Hiei did not move at first, but then he slowly unsheathed his katana. His red eyes were alight and blazing.

Karasu smirked maliciously and sneered, "Oh no, you won't have the pleasure of fighting me little one. I will be back for my fox." With that, Karasu suddenly disappeared to the shadows leaving Hiei in the center in the room fuming in extreme anger.

Yusuke watched in rage as the crow disappeared, then turned back around to face Kurama. He tried to coax the kitsune back to consciousness. "Hey, Kurama, come on, you gotta wake up so we can get out of here. Kurama?"

The group jumped when there was a soft moan, followed by the revealing of half-opened eyes.

"Kurama, we're here," Botan stuttered, drawing his ice-cold hand into her own. She turned to the rest of the group, "He's freezing you guys."

"I can't…see you," came a barely audible whisper.

"You can't?" Kuwabara asked, looking around the now brightly-lit room. He knelt closer, until he was almost eye to eye with the fox. "How 'bout now?"

"Stop that you moron," Yusuke said as he pulled the taller boy away, but not before Kurama gave his answer.

"No." was the soft reply.

"N-no?" Yusuke stuttered, "You couldn't see his ugly mug two inches away from you?"

Kurama didn't answer as Hiei walked back over and quietly knelt down next to him. Looking into the fox's eyes, he sighed. "His eyes are dull. He's blind." Everyone was horror-struck. Kurama couldn't be blind.

"We need to get him out of the cold," Botan whispered quietly, "he's already shaking from shock."

Yusuke didn't need to be told again so he wrapped the cloak around the slim form again and carefully turned Kurama over to pick him up, making sure not to touch the fox's injuries as much as possible.

Kuwabara led the group out of the room, with Yusuke close behind, Botan right at his shoulder, keeping Kurama as still as possible, and Hiei bringing up the rear, clutching Kurama's bloody whip tightly in his hand.

Yusuke looked down at the spirit fox in his arms, and was surprised that his eyes were still open. "Kurama? You still awake?" he whispered.

Kurama didn't move at first, but then he slowly turned his head upwards in the direction the spirit detective's voice had come form.

"You okay man? We're really sorry we didn't get here sooner," he apologized.

Kurama still didn't speak. He just continued to stare unseeingly into Yusuke's eyes for a minute, before closing his own and becoming even more limp in Yusuke's arms.

"Kurama!" He exclaimed in worry.

"There's the portal," Botan said as she ran ahead to open it. As soon as it was safe, Yusuke led the others through the portal into Rekai.

Koenma, who had been in his teenage form, supposedly stamping papers at his desk since the team left, wasn't even aware of the stacks of important documents. His mind had been on Kurama's condition since they found out he was missing almost two days ago. His eyes flew to the door when it was thrown open and he sprang up at the sight before him. "What happened!?"

"Later," Yusuke said simply, "He needs a doctor. NOW."

"Right. Bring him in here." Koenma led them to an adjoining room. "This is my room, he will be safe in here."

Yusuke carefully sat Kurama on the bed and then guided him to lie on his stomach.

"What happened to him?" Koenma asked concernedly.

"This happened," The infuriated fire demon spat as he threw the whip on the ground in front of Koenma.

"No! Karasu used his own whip against him?!" he shrieked.

Hiei just gave a thoroughly unamused "Hn" as he walked over to the bed. He carefully took the side of his cloak and pulled it off, revealing the marks in the better lighting. Every inch of Kurama's back was covered in slash marks and blood that was flowing freely now that the cloak was gone.

"Oh no," Koenma said, "Botan, do everything you can for him."

"Of course." She immediately knelt next to the bed and gently touched the raw skin. Kurama jumped at the touch and let a quiet whimper escape his lips. Tears filled Botan's eyes as she continued, causing the weak demon to flinch and twitch even more.

Yusuke watched for a minute before turning back to face his boss. "Hiei says Kurama has gone blind too."

Koenma nodded solemnly as he walked over to the bed. He knelt down and carefully opened one of Kurama's eyes. He watched the emerald orb for a minute before nodding again, then proceeding with the other eye.

"He might still have a chance." He turned to face them. "Hiei, could you go to Genkai's temple and retrieve Yukina?" Hiei didn't need to be told twice and promptly vanished.

Kuwabara had been watching quietly since they arrived. He noticed that Kurama seemed to be shaking more than he should, but he didn't understand why, until he noticed the sheets below the fox's body. "Guys, there's blood on the sheets under Kurama's chest."

Everyone's eyes snapped to him, then to Kurama. Yusuke quickly walked over and gently lifted the fox, setting him in a sitting position on the bed. "Oh no." he muttered morosely.

It was the wound Kurama had received when Karasu first captured him; it had reopened once again. "Why didn't we see this before?" he questioned sadly.

"Botan, you need to stop this before he loses anymore blood." Botan was already trying to heal the wound before Koenma finished his sentence.

Hiei suddenly reappeared in the doorway, with Yukina safely in his arms.

Kuwabara immediately perked up, "Yukina my love!"

"NOT NOW YOU IDIOT!" Yusuke yelled.

Yukina smiled lightly, until she saw the form Yusuke was helping sit up on the bed.

"Kurama!" She whispered as she ran over.

Hiei didn't understand at first why Yusuke was holding Kurama up, until he saw the wound on his stomach. "If he loses too much more blood, the girls might not be able to help him." He stated gruffly.

Koenma walked up to the young Ice Apparition. "Yukina, we need you to heal Kurama's eyes before it's too late."

"Of course. Then I can help with his other wounds too."

So as not to disturb any injuries by laying the fox down Yusuke positioned Kurama's head to lean against his chest as Yukina walked over. She gently placed her hands over his eyes and they started to glow a light blue. After five minutes, she finally pulled her hands away. "His eyes will be very sensitive to light for awhile, but they should be fine."

"Right," Botan said, "his stomach wound should be fine now. Lay him back on the bed, then Yukina and I will take care of the rest."

Yusuke nodded as he laid the pale and shaky fox on the covers. "Take care of him you two," he said as he led the men out of the room.

Fun, fun, fun! I know, it's kind of a cliffie (as pretty much all of my chapters have been so far. Sorry. ) Anyway, now we have Yukina in the story. Will she return the feeling Kurama is feeling for her (2nd chapter )? You'll have to read and find out (I can be so evil at times.) I'll update as soon as I can. C ya!


	5. Recovering

Hi ya!

I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner, we've had so many internet problems between me and my beta, that it's not even funny.

To my reviewers;

Wolf of the Silver Flame: Thanx. I know, I don't mind yaoi stories as much as I used to, but I'd never write them.

YamikiofAnime: Here you go.

KaraKurama: Thanx

What2callmyself: No prob. I'm having net troubles too.

All right. I'm sure you're tired of hearing me talk, (or type, or, wutever). So have fun with the new chappie!

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. (So don't remind me).

(a/n: Just a quick note, my italics don't seem to be working anymore, so all thoughts will now be in parenthesis. (Enter text).)

The first thing Kurama felt as his consciousness returned, was something warm being run along his numb back. He tensed instinctively and jumped up. "Get away from me," he growled. He flinched when he tried to open his eyes and had to close them from the assault of bright light coming from the room.

"Kurama!" A soft, surprised voice called.

The fox demon snapped his head toward the voice. "Y-Yukina?" He heard soft footsteps grow closer and tried to back up, but ran into a wall, unwillingly letting a yelp of pain escape due to the impact.

"Here Kurama," Yukina whispered, "Put these on."

Kurama felt something slip over his eyes and slowly opened them. Yukina had given him a pair of heavily tinted glasses that made all of the lights in the room a dull, red glow.

"Y-you almost went blind Kurama. I was able to help, but your eyes will be very sensitive to light for a few days."

Kurama turned his attention to the Ice Apparition. "H-how did I get here Yukina? Where am I?"

"You're in Koenma's bedroom in Reikai. The others brought you in here a few hours ago. Please, sit down, you're still too weak, and I was just wiping the blood off of your back."

Kurama shakily fell back to the bed; every part of his body was completely numb. "Where is everyone?"

Yukina sat down next to him before answering. "In the office, trying to track down Karasu."

"I need to help." Kurama tried to get up again, but found that he had used all of his restored strength jumping up the first time.

"Please Kurama, you must rest. Your legs were both broken before Botan healed them, but they're still badly sprained. And we were only able to close all of the whiplashes on your back, too much movement will open them again."

Kurama took a deep breath and sat on the bed once more. "Thank you Yukina, for all of your help."

Yukina blushed deeply. "Of course Kurama, you're one of my closest friends. I could never let you stay in pain when there was something I could do to help. Now, could I please finish wiping the blood off your back? I already finished your face, arms and stomach."

Kurama slowly nodded and lay back down on his stomach and felt the warm washcloth being run along his back again.

"I feel so numb," he whispered, "And weak."

The sudden statement surprised Yukina. "Don't say that Kurama. You just lived your worst nightmare. Any one of us would have been scared."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about my dreams?"

Yukina laughed quietly, "Hiei told me."

Kurama smiled slightly as he thought about that, then he remembered what had happened in that dark room. (Hiei was the one who saved me. I never thought he would do anything like that.')

"Kurama?" Yukina called gently.

(I knew he wouldn't admit to being my friend, but I never thought he would risk his life to save me. Why did he?)

"Kurama?" This time she asked a little louder.

(No, that isn't true. During my Dark Tournament battle with Bakken, Genkai had said that Hiei had been about to blast through the force field he was trapped behind if Yuskue hadn't stopped Bakken from punching me that last time.)

"Kurama!" she yelled.

He snapped out of his thoughts and quickly apologized, "Oh, I'm very sorry Yukina. Did you say something?"

Yukina giggled quietly, "I was just wondering if you would like me to help you to the bathroom so you could wash your hair?"

Kurama smiled softly, "Thank you Yukina, I would appreciate that." He felt the small hands wrap around his elbow and slowly helped him stand. She led him to a door across the room.

Yukina turned on the shower and walked over to Kurama again, "There are some clothes on the counter for you. I will be in the other room, call me when you're done."

"Thank you Yukina."

She nodded as she left the room.

"We haven't found anything," Yusuke said irritably.

He, Koenma, Kuwabara and Botan were all standing around Koenma's desk, just returning from searching the Makai for hours. Hiei didn't go; he had stayed on the windowsill in the office, keeping a close eye on his friend and sister in the next room.

The door to the bedroom slowly opened and Yukina stepped out, closing the door behind her.

"How is he?" Botan asked immediately.

Yukina bowed slightly in greeting. "He's taking a shower to wash the blood out of his hair. His wounds will be very numb for awhile and his eyes will be very sensitive, but I think he will be all right with a lot of rest."

Everyone in the room visibly relaxed.

"Thank goodness," Botan breathed.

"What are we going to do about Karasu?" Yusuke asked, "He already said that he would be back for Kurama."

"Well that seems obvious. We won't let him have the fox."

Everyone looked at Hiei on his usual perch.

"The wall ornament has a point," Yusuke admitted, receiving a growl and a glare from Hiei, "But how will we find him?"

"We will just have to set a trap."

Everyone literally jumped a foot in the air and spun around to the darkest corner in the back of the room. They could see a pair of rich, emerald green eyes staring back at them.

"KURAMA! DON'T DO THAT!" Kuwabara yelled, "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I highly doubt that Kuwabara," Kurama said as he materialized from the shadows, hands deep in the pockets of his new outfit; his white fighting suit with the purple sash for a belt. All traces of blood were gone and his fiery red hair had regained it's color. As soon as he was in the bright lights of the room, he pulled out the dark tinted glasses and slipped them over his eyes.

"Those look good on you Kurama," Yusuke said seriously, but in a cheerful tone.

Kurama nodded his head in thanks and took a step backwards as Botan appeared directly in front of him.

"Kurama, you shouldn't be up! You lost more than half of your blood with Karasu, and you're still too pale to have fully recovered. Plus, you're still shaking."

"Botan, please settle down. I have a plant that I can grow to help me replenish some blood and not having a shirt and lying on a cave's stone floor for two days will give you the chills for awhile. And I'm sure with all of the help Yukina has given me, I will be as good as new." Kurama calmly explained.

Botan's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Oh Kurama." She suddenly flew forward and held him tight, causing the fox to wince in pain. "I was just so worried about you. I don't want to be the one to have to bring you to Reikai."

Kurama smiled slightly, "Botan, I'll be fine after the whiplashes heal. And when you stop suffocating me," he added teasing softly.

Botan quickly pulled back, "Sorry! Will you please at least sit down? Your legs are hurt too badly to be standing on them."

Kurama sighed in defeat, you can't win them all. "Very well."

Botan smiled in relief at her victory over the stubborn fox and she pulled a chair over to him.

"How long will it take for those whiplashes to heal fox-boy?" Yusuke asked seriously, "Yukina and Botan were able to heal your arms, neck and face, and bring your legs to just a major sprain. But you said it yourself that it takes a while for the wounds caused by your whip to heal."

"I seriously do not know Yusuke," Kurama replied with his usual calm, emotionless face, "I have been struck by my own whip before, and it took me about a three weeks to completely heal from it. I can not say when fifteen minutes worth will heal."

Yukina and Botan both let out a little shriek as they covered their mouths.

"FIFTEEN MINUTES!" Kuwabara yelled, "He whipped you for fifteen minutes with your own weapon?!"

Kurama winced as the loud voice hit his sensitive ears. "Please, I would rather just move on to the next topic of discussion. The only way to catch Karasu is to set a trap."

"All right," Yusuke said, "And what would we use as bait?"

Kurama's expression didn't change, he just looked straight at the team leader quietly.

Ok everyone, I hope this chapter was worth the long wait. Don't you hate it when you have internet problems?

I'd say more, but I can't think of anything. So cya when I c ya D


	6. A Plan and Another Dream

Hi ya!

I got a beautiful diamond necklace from my boyfriend the other day, so I'm in a GREAT MOOD!

So I thought I'd pass on the love and give you guys two chappies in one day! No need to thank me. J/K.

So, since there won't be any new reviews for this chapter, on with the story!

The only time I will own Yu Yu Hakusho, would be in an alternate universe, in my own dreams. So I guess that means, I don't own it, and never will. :(

(enter text) Thoughts

Last Time  
"Please, I would rather just move on to the next topic of discussion. The only way to catch Karasu is to set a trap."

"All right," Yuskue said, "And what would we use as bait?"

Kurama's expression didn't change, he just looked straight at the team leader quietly.

"NO WAY!" Koenma yelled, running up until he was inches away from Kurama's face.

The fox's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses and sat back farther in the chair. He let out a slight yelp as his back hit the chair.

Koenma took a little step back. "Sorry. BUT THERE IS NO WAY YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE YOURSELF BACK OVER TO THAT MONSTER!!"

Kurama stood up from the chair a little clumsily, and looked straight into the face before him. "He will be coming for me anyway Koenma, he already promised that. But this way, we will be ready for him."

"NO! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT! NOT NO WAY, NOT NO HOW!" Koenma wasn't giving up.

In one swift movement, Kurama pulled the glasses off of his eyes and looked straight into Koenma's. The Prince had to gasp at how cloudy the fox's eyes were in the light, but what scared him the most was that they were a deep gold.

"Koenma," Yoko growled, "I will end this whether I have your help or not. Though, after my last encounter, I would rather have you with me than against me."

Koenma was frozen as Yoko replaced the dark glasses and turned to the shaded window. "What about you Hiei? Are you going to help me? Or evade me?"

Hiei was a little surprised at the fox's abruptness and sudden turning on him, but he shrugged it off. "You can do what you want fox. I'm not your babysitter."

But inside, Hiei knew he wouldn't leave Kurama alone until the crow was back in it's cage again.

"All right Kurama, we give," Yusuke sighed in defeat, "We'll figure out a plan in the morning. Right now, you need to go lie down. Your body is starting to shake from standing. Besides, the last thing we need right now is for Yoko to get ticked off."

Kurama growled deep in his throat as a glint of gold could be seen through the glasses, but he slowly nodded and allowed the girls to lead him back to the room he had come from.

"Hey Kurama," the said fox turned back to Hiei with a look of confusion. "Thought you might like this back."

Hiei threw something that Kurama easily caught. Kurama looked at his hand, inside was his tear gem necklace. Kurama smiled lightly and nodded his thanks before being pulled out of the room.

Yusuke watched as the door closed behind them. "Fox-boy is trying to get himself killed. He needs time to rest, at least until he can see again. Even right then while Yoko was in control his eyes were really cloudy and unfocused in the light."

Hiei chuckled a little from the window, causing Yusuke to look at him. "And what is so funny about that Hiei?"

The fire demon chuckled again. "You're wasting your time worrying about Kurama, detective. He knows what to expect from Karasu now, so he will know what to do. Even Yoko isn't too stubborn to understand that."

"But what if it is dangerous to his friends?" Koenma asked, "We all know Kurama will be able to understand Karasu's moves now, but what if his friends are involved somehow?"

Everyone fell quiet at this; Koenma had a point.

"I have a bad feeling about this you guys," Kuwabara said, "Karasu isn't going to give up easily, and we all know Kurama is in no shape to be fighting."

No one knew how to answer that either.

Hiei gave a small, annoyed sigh, "I will be back tomorrow to retrieve Yukina." With that, he disappeared through the window.

Though he had made it seem like he had returned to Ningenkai, Hiei never left. He hid in the shadows until late, after Yusuke and Kuwabara left, and it had gotten very dark.

He snuck back into Koenma's empty office and into the adjoining bedroom. He saw Yukina and Botan sleeping quietly in a corner, but frowned slightly when he saw Kurama. The fox was fidgeting and breathing heavily in his sleep.

(He's having another nightmare?)

Hiei untied his bandana and opened his Jagan. He slowly slipped into the sleeping fox's mind to see what was wrong. What Hiei didn't know, was this was more than just a nightmare.

(A/N: I seriously thought about stopping right here, but that would be mean.)

Hiei opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of a very dense forest. "This is different, all of the other dreams were in a cave."

He looked around, but couldn't see Kurama, or anyone for that matter. He suddenly heard tree branches snapping and ran toward the sound. When he reached the area, Hiei stopped dead in his tracks.

"Kurama!"

There, hanging tangled in a bunch of vines high in the tree, was the motionless form of his best friend.

Hiei unsheathed his sword, and in a split second, Kurama was free and Hiei slowly lowered him to the ground. Kurama was completely covered in blood. It seemed like every wound he had received in the past two days had returned ten-fold and were bleeding profusely.

Hiei's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "How was I able to cut those vines while in Kurama's dream? Why can I touch you now Kurama?"

The fox spirit didn't move for a minute, but he suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the face above him. "Hi-ei." Hiei jumped. (He can see me too!?)

"Kurama, what happened?"

Kurama tried to slow his breathing as he spoke. "Lost control."

Now Hiei was completely lost. "Control? Over what Kurama? What did you lose control over?"

Kurama's breathing became even quicker. "My plants… He took control of my plants."

"Who? Karasu?"

Kurama gave a very slight nod. "I'm sorry… I was working on something to control that problem when I was captured… but I didn't finish it."

Hiei's eyes clouded in thought for a minute. "Those bottles with extracts of your plants?"

Kurama nodded again, "I was almost finished…. I just needed to mix all twelve together and drink it…. I'm really sorry Hiei." Kurama said softly and suddenly closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

Hiei's eyes widened in horror. "Kurama! Wake up!"

Kurama didn't budge.

"No, no, no, no, no." Hiei kneeled next to his friend, frozen in horror. He suddenly felt himself thrown from the forest.

Hiei fell backward to the ground as he was thrown from the dream. He sat on the ground, trying to control his heart and breathing, until he noticed the figure on the bed.

Kurama had jolted straight up in the bed, breathing quickly and raggedly.

(Kurama! He's alive!)

Hiei jumped up to the bed, next to the fox.

Kurama had taken off his glasses before falling asleep, and with the room almost pitch black, he couldn't see at all. So when someone walked up to the bed, he jumped and hit his back against the wall.

"Get away from me," he growled defensively through the pain.

Hiei was surprised by the reaction, but just moved into Kurama's viewing range.

"Kurama, it's me."

Hiei saw the foggy emerald eyes relax as Kurama's vision focused on his face.

"Hiei. What are you doing here?"

Hiei looked at him for a minute before speaking. "That wasn't a dream, was it?"

"What?" Kurama asked in confusion.

Hiei growled, "I was in your dream Kurama, but I could touch you, unlike with the other dreams. Why? Was that a dream or not?"

Kurama breathed, "That was you? I knew it."

"Stop changing the subject kitsune! What is going on?!"

Kurama gave a strangled and defeated sigh before he answered. "It wasn't a dream, none of them have been. They're visions sent by Karasu. …The things he wishes to do to me."

Hiei's heart plummeted and the glare on his face was gone as he remembered all of the "dreams" Kurama had had. They all were about different ways Karasu could torture him.

"H-he actually did those things to you?"

Kurama shrugged. "Most of them anyway. Particularly the more painful ones."

Hiei looked across the room to make sure the girls were still asleep before continuing. "What about this one? Will this one happen?"

Kurama's breathing finally calmed down a little more. "I don't know. I only see them; I don't know which ones will happen and which ones won't. All I know is, if that one happens, I should probably say my good-byes now."

"Don't even say that you stupid fox," Hiei growled, "You can't give up that easily. We can stop that vision from happening!"

"How Hiei? I don't even know how Karasu controlled my plants in that vision."

Hiei thought about what the Kurama in the vision had said. "What about those bottles you said could help you control your plants?"

Kurama looked at the bed for a second; "I left those at my school."

Hiei smirked, "You really thought I would leave something so powerful lying around for any filthy human to touch?"

Kurama smirked playfully as his eyes lit up. "That makes me a filthy human then."

"That's beside the point baka. What needs to be done to finish it?"

"All twelve of the vials must be mixed together, then I drink it," Kurama stated.

"You sure that is wise? You have a death tree and some of the most poisonous plants from the Makai in those vials."

Kurama laughed, "When have I ever done anything to prove otherwise? I'm sure."

Kurama started to get out of bed, when Hiei pushed him back in.

"Don't even think about it fox."

Kurama glared at him before smirking, "Don't tell me the great Hiei is starting to worry about a filthy human."

Before Kurama could blink, he was thrown on to his back on the bed and Hiei covered his mouth as he stared down at him, with a glare he would only give someone he really hates.

"Don't start with me Kurama! You are not moving from here until I tell you to."

Kurama's eyes were wide in fear as he stared up at his partner. (Wh-what is he doing? Why is he acting this way?)

When Hiei saw the intense fear in Kurama's eyes, he immediately got up and went to the door, "You stay there fox, I'll mix your plants and bring it back to you."

Kurama could only nod as the door closed behind him.

I'd like to thank everyone that read this chapter, cuz that means you have read the whole thing so far, and seem to like it. That makes me feel really great about putting this story on-line after having it finished on my computer for the past three months.

There are about four more chapters in this story, and I will try to get them up before too long, then I'll see about adding the sequal I have started.

I will update as soon as I can. Please review!


	7. Kidnapped Again

Hi ya!

Happy Groundhog Day! Pray s/he sees his/her shadow! (Or for those who like winter, pray it's sunny!)

I'm so sorry about the late update! The last time I did was my little sister's birthday. And since then, I have been swamped with paramedic meetings (I'm training to be one) and school. AUGH! I was forced to take ITED's (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) today. Now I know why I'm starting to detest school! Just because Iowa scores highly on those tests, doesn't mean we want to take two more that no other state has. (**Deep breath and returns to keyboard)** Okay, I'm good, just had to vent there. Sorry!

Newayz, to my faithful reviewers new and old:

**KaraKurama:** Thanx. You were my first ever rewiew! And I thank you for sticking with me! Keep u the good work on your stories too!

**What2callmyself:** Stop apologizing! I've been having troubles too. And the thing about taking up too much of my time. That never happens! I never get to talk to anyone. Thanx for the firefighter petition.

**YamikiofANime:** Sweatdrops Wipes pieces of you off of me Ummmm.. well, if there is anyway you can put yourself back together, here's the next part. And please, I'm rather attached to my head (literally) so I'd like to keep it. Thanx!

**MikaSamu**Thanx, I'm trying to stay in character as much as possible, and with what2callmyself's help, I think I'm doing all rightSo many things to look forward to. I hope you aren't disappointed.

**SmilelyFaceMel**I'm afraid you're right. Things have to get worse before they can get better.

**SilentSheWolf**No offense, but please don't whine. I have three siblings and two cousins to baby-sit that do enough of that already. Thanx for reading!

**silent hanyou**I'm really glad you feel that way. I don't know many ppl who think about Kur/Yuk. Pairings, but I think it is really cute. You and I are a lot alike!

Thanx everyone! And keep reviewing, my e-mail was so empty before ppl starting reviewing. I LUV getting mail!

Here we go! As I sadly stated in my last chappie; The only time I will own Yu Yu Hakusho, would be in an alternate universe, in my own dreams. So I guess that means, I don't own it, and never will. :(

A Rose's Thorns

Chapter 7

Kidnapped Again.

(enter text) thoughts

(Why did I do that? He didn't mean anything by what he said.) Hiei walked down the hall to where he had left the box full of demon plant extracts. (The look in his eyes. Makes me wonder if Karasu did more than Kurama is telling us.)

He walked into the room and immediately found the box sitting on the table in the center of the room. Setting out all of the vials, he took the biggest beaker and set it in the middle of the table. One-by-one he poured the liquids into the beaker, gently sniffing each one just enough to get an idea of what it was.

"Kurama better know what he is doing. Most of these are from the plants he rarely, if ever, uses, and they are all dangerously poisonous."

He poured in the final vial and was about to leave, when he looked back at the table.

"I'm missing one."

Including the beaker in his hand, Hiei only counted eleven containers.

"What happened to the last one? It could be dangerous for Kurama to drink this unfinished."

He searched the whole room, but didn't find the last one.

"Did I even bring twelve from the school?"

He thought about what happened two days before and remembered, "I only brought eleven. What happened to the last one?"

The hall suddenly filled with a terrified scream. (Yukina!)

Hiei immediately disappeared down the hall.

Hiei burst through the door to the bedroom. "Yukina?"

"Hiei!" Yukina flung herself into Hiei's arms and buried her face into his cloak, nearly making Hiei drop the sealed beaker in his hand.

"He took him," she cried, the cloak muffling her words.

"Who took who?" Hiei asked in confusion.

"Karasu. He got Kurama."

"What?" His gaze quickly shifted to the corner, where Botan was sprawled and seemed unconscious. "What happened Yukina?"

The Ice Apparition looked up with bloodshot eyes. "Botan and I woke up when we heard Kurama yell out. We saw Karasu standing over him, holding something over Kurama's mouth and nose. Kurama was struggling, but he suddenly stopped moving. Botan ran to try and stop him, but Karasu just swung around and hit her. Then he picked up Kurama and left. Oh Hiei! You have to help Kurama! I think he might be bleeding again too."

"What?" Hiei asked, showing some of his concern.

"Look." She pointed to the bed and Hiei could see blood splashed all over the sheets.

(Some of Kurama's wounds must have reopened in the struggle.) Hiei's hands clenched tightly, nearly breaking the glass beaker. He looked down at it and looked back at his sister. "Find Koenma and have him call the detective."

He started to pull away from Yukina, but she grabbed his empty hand in a gentle grasp.

"Please Hiei. Find Kurama, I don't like seeing him hurt. Ever since he fought Karasu in the Dark Tournament, I have been very worried about him."

Hiei looked thoughtfully at his sister; (Does she have feelings for the fox? Well, better him that great big oaf.) "I will find him Yukina. Go get the others and have them follow." He quickly flitted from the room.

She checked on Botan once more before sprinting out the door.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Karasu laughed quietly as he looked at the unconscious fox in his arms. "Yes my beautiful kitsune, you will not get away this time."

He had been walking for half an hour through a forest and finally reached the heart of it.

Setting Kurama on the ground, Karasu knelt over him. "Kurama, my sweet. It's time to wake up."

Kurama moaned slightly, but immediately opened his eyes.

Karasu put a hand on Kurama's chest and the other over his mouth, forcing the fox to stay on the ground. "No, no, precious, don't get up, you'll only hurt yourself."

Kurama's eyes grew wide, but narrowed quickly as the sunlight blinded him without his glasses.

When Karasu still didn't pull his hand away, Kurama bit down as hard as he could.

Karasu yelled out, pulling his hand away. He looked at the blood for a second before slapping Kurama hard across the face. "Now, there's the fox demon in you showing through. You remember our battle in the Dark Tournament, don't you Kurama? Your yoko side seemed quite sure of himself as I remember. 'You shouldn't corner a fox, we have the nasty tendency to show our teeth!' I believe were your words. Well, at least now I know that your bark is much worse than your bite."

Kurama was briefly stunned by the crow's recollection of those words. Then he realized Karasu's grip had loosened considerably. Gathering all of the energy he could spare, Kurama shoved Karasu and jumped back, landed in a crouched position on the ground. "I will not let you win this time Karasu!"

His hands slowly began to glow as he placed them on the grass. Immediately, the blades around Karasu sprang up and tried to puncture the crow, but he easily dodged the plant-life.

"Come now Kurama, why don't you just give yourself to me? It would be much easier on you. You can't even see where you're trying to attack."

"Never," Kurama growled. His eyes were very sore from the light now. He fed the trees above a little energy, allowing the branches to close and put the whole area in the shade.

Kurama was finally able to fully open his tired eyes.

Karasu suddenly began to laugh. "Thank you Kurama, I was waiting for you to do that."

Karasu suddenly pulled out a small syringe and showed it to Kurama. "I believe you will find this most interesting. This is filled with your DNA, which I collected while you were still unconscious. I could use this to control all of your plants."

Kurama's eyes widened as he realized that his vision was coming true. He jumped forward to grab the syringe, but Karasu kicked him across the clearing.

"Nice try Kurama, but you used all of your energy in the grass and trees. Now, it's my turn to play. Let's see what makes these plants your most valuable weapon."

He stuck the back of his hand with the needle and pushed the plunger. -shiver- needles, bleh….

Kurama suddenly felt all of the plant life in the area fill with Karasu's energy. His feet were knocked out from under him as he was pulled into the trees by a tangle of thorny vines.

Kurama struggled and tried to call the vines off, but only caused the thorns to tear deep, bloody gashes all over his body, and tighten their hold around his neck. Kurama fought until he finally passed out from blood loss and suffocation.

()()()()()()()()()()()

(Author beginning to babble)

**(Looks up at what I just wrote)** Geez, I didn't realize how mean I'm being. I'm not giving Kurama a break am I? For anyone reading this who thinks I'm just a heartless (enter colorful word of choice) who loves to see Kurama hurt, I'M NOT! Kurama is my favorite character, but for some reason I like stories where he is hurt.

Newayz. That's 7, only 3 more! This is great! I've gotten 24 reviews since I started and NONE of them are flames! That makes me feel really great about putting this story up to share with those who find it interesting. So, I think I've brought up enough courage to put some of my other stories up too soon. They are all based around Kurama and Hiei (And in some, Yukina) so if you are interested in those kinds of stories, keep an eye out. BTW, NONE of my stories are yaoi. I read the stuff cuz it's everywhere, but I don't write it. I'm not into writing the yaoi/yuri thing.

Kk, I'd better stop 'talking' before I scare everyone away. (**Crickets)** (**Voice echoes in room)** Well, I guess I already have. Keep an eye out for my update, it shouldn't be too long. Please review! C ya!

Kittyluv


	8. The Final Battle

Hi ya!

Sorry for the late update! I'll get straight to the point. I'm placing the reviews at the bottom of the story this time, so ppl. who don't want to read them can just stop after the story is done. Alright, I'm not in a talkative mood right now (big surprise to all my friends) so here ya go!

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho; I only own the evil imagination that caused me to write such a story.

(enter text) Thoughts If ya don't 'member ;P

XXXXXXXXXXX

The Final Battle

(q/n: In reference to my first chappie, this is where things start to sway slightly more from the actual show/magna. I added a detail toward the end that I have already been told is very kawaii. Enjoy!)

XXXXXXXXXXXX

(Almost there) Hiei thought as he ran through the forest. He couldn't understand why Karasu didn't hide his energy this time, but he wasn't complaining; it just made it easier to find them without using his Jagan.

With Kurama's nearly finished potion safely stowed away in his cloak pocket, he ran into the heart of the forest. (Where are they? They should be right here.)

Instinctively, he looked up and almost fell backwards.

(Kurama!)

The fox was hanging in a tangle of vines in tree canopy, with one thorny branch tightly around his neck.

Hiei quickly unsheathed his sword and jumped up the tree. In three slashes, the vines broke away and Hiei grabbed Kurama, laying him carefully on the ground.

(No, no, no, this can't happen!) Hiei thought frantically. "Kurama, wake up!"

Kurama's neck was covered in puncture wounds from the vines' thorns and they were all bleeding badly.

Hiei took his white scarf and carefully wrapped it around the fox's neck, tying it tightly to stop

"Hiei!" The fire demon didn't even look up as Koenma and Yusuke ran up behind him.

"How is -oh no." Koenma was in his teenage form as he knelt next to the ghost-white fox spirit. "We need to get him out of here before Karasu comes back."

"Too late," Yusuke growled as Karasu appeared in front of them.

"Now why are you always ruining my fun?" The crow pretended to pout in a mocking sort of manner.

"FUN! YOU CALL THIS FUN?" Yusuke yelled. He was completely shocked and disgusted at Karasu.

Koenma looked at his spirit detective, "Yusuke, you know from the Dark Tournament that Karasu kills everyone that he feels affection for. We have to get these puncture wounds taken care of before the blood fills his throat."

Yusuke seemed to hesitate, but he answered quietly. "All right, let's go."

"No."

Everyone looked at where the whispered croak had come from.

Kurama's eyes were barely open and his voice was badly slurred and sounded like a frog croaking. "He has my powers. He can not… be left with them, or he'll cause… even more damage."

Hiei looked at his pocket. "Kurama, I have your drink, but there were only eleven containers."

"There has to be twelve," Kurama said immediately, "Let me see it."

"Kurama, I really don't think you should be worried about a mixed drink right now," Koenma said as Hiei pulled the container out of his pocket.

"Shut up," Hiei hissed as he slowly helped Kurama sit up. He removed the seal and held it close to Kurama's nose.

"The rose," he said after a minute, "It's missing the rose extract."

(Of course.) Hiei sighed. (The one that it must have.)

Karasu suddenly started to laugh maliciously.

"And what's so funny?" Yusuke asked, not having budged from where he was guarding his injured friend.

Karasu smiled as he pulled a small vial out of his pocket. "Looking for this?" His smile grew wider as he saw Kurama tense. "Yes my sweet, you know what it is. I took it while I was picking you up from school."

Kurama suddenly fell into a fit of violent coughs, bringing up blood as he did.

Hiei placed Kurama on the ground so he lay on his side, then stood up to face Koenma

"Hold this, and don't you dare spill any of it," he ordered.

Koenma took the container as Hiei went up to Yusuke and whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

"We must get that vial. If we add the rose to the others and give it to Kurama, it will strengthen his control over the plants and he will be able to break Karasu's hold."

Yusuke nodded never taking an eye off of the crow. "Karasu, you will regret everything you've done." He pointed his finger at Karasu, "SHOT GUN!"

Karasu was immediately surrounded, but when the dust cleared, everyone saw that he had enclosed himself in a shield made of grass and shrubs to protect himself.

"He's already mastered Kurama's powers," Koenma whispered and flung around to Kurama as the fox went into another fit of bloody coughs.

(We have to finish this soon) Yusuke thought as he heard the painful coughs. Hiei suddenly appeared next to him and whispered something in his ear. Yusuke quickly nodded, then Hiei disappeared. Yusuke aimed his gun again, causing Karasu to laugh.

"Didn't we try this already? If you don't remember, it didn't work." Karasu mocked.

(There is only one flaw in Kurama's shields) Hiei had said (It's the instant when he is powering up to raise the shield. He is momentarily paralyzed due to deep concentration. Aim your gun again, and when he powers up, I will snatch the vial.)

"Well, I guess I'm just really thick-headed then," Yusuke growled as he powered up.

"You never learn boy," Karasu laughed as he too, powered up.

At that instant, Hiei appeared and knicked the vial from the crow's hand.

"NO!" Karasu yelled, breaking his concentration on the shield.

Yusuke saw this and fired, hitting Karasu square in the chest and sending him sailing across the clearing.

Hiei reappeared next to Koenma and Kurama, causing the Prince to jump.  
"Give me the container," Hiei growled. Koenma immediately handed it to him.

Hiei uncorked the rose extract with his teeth, spitting it out as he poured the ingredient in with the rest. It turned pitch black as he guided the ashen fox carefully on his back. Kurama didn't even flinch as he was laid on his gashed back, and the cloth around his neck had completely bled through.

"Kurama, I have it. Kurama?" Hiei almost thought he was too late, until he saw the slight rising of his partner's chest.

Yusuke still kept a close eye on the knocked out Karasu across the clearing as Hiei lifted Kurama's upper torso until his head was resting on Hiei's shoulder. He opened Kurama's mouth slightly and poured a little of the liquid in, rubbing his throat to help it go down.

Kurama suddenly started to choke on the disgusting drink. Hiei heard Koenma give a sigh of relief, and he slowly fed him more until the beaker was empty. Kurama's breathing instantly started to quicken. He slowly opened his eyes to show their deep gold color.

Hiei raised an eyebrow at this. "Youko?" Kurama slowly looked up at him, then to the other end of the clearing.

Karasu had staggered to his feet and was looking straight at Kurama, no longer a look of fun in his eyes, only rage, and a little…fear? "You will not get away Kurama. You will be buried here, among your precious plants!" He released a few dozen bombs straight at the four detectives.

Koenma and Yusuke shielded their faces from the attack, but they suddenly felt a giant shield form around them. They opened their eyes to see a thick wall of vines between them and Karasu.

"Kurama?" Yusuke turned to look behind him.

Hiei was still holding Kurama up, but Kurama's eyes were glowing a bright gold.

The vines quickly shrank away and Kurama looked straight into Karasu's eyes.

"Sayonara Karasu," Youko's deep voice projected loud and clear, even with his throat badly slashed.

Karasu's eyes suddenly widened as a thick, thorny vine pierced his back and protruded through the front, straight through his heart. Karasu stood stunned for a minute, just staring at the golden eyes, then collapsed to the ground.

Yusuke didn't move at first, but when Kurama's energy suddenly plummeted, he spun around.

There was a blinding light, then Yusuke saw Hiei, sitting on the ground holding a small silver fox with four tails. "Kurama!" Yusuke ran to the fire demon and looked at the kitsune in Hiei's arms.

In his fox form, Kurama's wounds were much more visible against his beautiful silver fur, but almost every inch of it was drenched in crimson blood. The little fox panted heavily and buried its nose deep in the folds of Hiei's cloak as if to hide from the pain.

"I-is he alright?" Yusuke asked.

Koenma knelt next to Hiei and looked at the trembling fox. "Kurama is in very critical condition, but in this form we can heal him more easily and he will be able to get better faster than normal."

"I'll take him to Yukina," Hiei said, as he slowly stood, careful not to jar Kurama at all.

"We'll take Karasu back to the prison and make sure he doesn't get away again," Yusuke said.

Hiei nodded slightly as he disappeared.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There's eight! Yay! We're inching closer and closer to the end.

Now, to trusty reviewers new and old:

SilentSheWolf: I was just kidding 'bout the whining thing, no need to scold yourself. I should probably bang my head for makin' it sound like I was mean. Bang head on wall.

KaraKurama: Thanx for agreeing with me! It's not often that ppl. do that. And thanx for sending me the Japanese word for rose, that will be very useful.

YamikiofAnime: Geez, you need to stop exploding or there won't be any of you left to read the next chapter. LOL. I hope you loved this chapter.

MikaSamu: Wow, that was deep. I like that explanation. Thanx for the review.

darksaphire: I know, I can be pretty predictable at times, but I was pretty nieve when I wrote the first chapter, so it didn't work out as planned. I hope you enjoyed the rest of the story.

Anishu: You know how these stories go; they always seem to have just enough blood left to live, no matter how much they lose. How I see Karasu; he is just a lunatic who likes to torture his prey until they die. I don't know if that's how he was meant to be, but that's how I see him. And thanx, I am having a blast!

And as always, thanx to Whatcallmyself for al your help! I thought you would like Koenma's little 'mixed-drink' joke.

Wow, 31 reviews and I get at least one new person every time! Thanx everyone! I'll be back as soon as I can with the next chappie

C ya when I c ya ;P

Kittyluv


	9. Recovering And Revealed Secrets

Hi ya!

Thanks for your patience, I didn't mean for it to take this long to update again! I promise the next chapter will be out MUCH (within the same month) sooner.

Now that I have like two chappies of reviews to catch up on, they'll be placed at the end. Thanx in advance!

If I owned Yu Yu Hakusho, do you think I would be writing these as a FAN fiction and not an actual episode! I DON'T OWN A DARN THING EXCEPT FOR THE PLOT OF THE STORY! I hope you're all happy.

(enter text) Thoughts

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They have been gone a long time. Do you think they are alright?" Yukina asked worriedly.

"Of course they are!" Botan said cheerfully, "They'll be back any minute now with Kurama and he'll be just fine!" But inside, Botan felt sick to her stomach with worry.

The door to the room suddenly blew open and Hiei appeared in front of them, cradling something in his arms underneath his cloak.

"Hiei," Yukina smiled, "Did you find Kurama? Is he alright?"

Hiei looked at the ground for a second, before pulling aside the corner of the cloak. Both girls shrieked when they saw the trembling kitsune in his arms, his nose buried in the crook between his elbow and chest.

"I-is that Kurama?" Botan whispered in fear, seeing that the originally silver youko looked more like a common red fox.

Hiei nodded, "It's blood." The girls shrieked again as Hiei moved to the bed and laid Kurama in the center of the large pillow. "Take care of him."

Yukina nodded and instantly ran up to the bed. "Please Kurama, hold on," she told the little youko. She felt a few tears roll down her face and form the hiruseki stones as she heard the quiet panting of the fox fighting to breathe.

Botan turned her tear stained eyes to Hiei as Yukina worked with Kurama. "What happened to him?"

Hiei answered quietly, but calmly, "Karasu took control of his thorn vines, which punctured him while suffocating him. He transformed to his fox form after using the last of his energy to defeat Karasu. Koenma and Yusuke are taking Karasu to the Makai Prison. Kurama went into shock on the way here; he needs to be helped." Botan slowly nodded as she turned back to the bed.

Yukina slowly untied the cloth around Kurama's neck and pulled it away, revealing the dozens of bleeding puncture wounds. She gently placed her hands around his neck, but jerked them back when Kurama jumped and yipped in pure agony. "I'm so sorry Kurama, but I must stop the bleeding." She slowly replaced her hands, but Kurama controlled himself and didn't move.

After fifteen minutes, Yukina had finished. "I was only strong enough to stop the bleeding. Kurama will have to heal on his own for awhile." Botan nodded and walked out of the room, seemingly to get something.

Yukina sat cross-legged on the bed and pulled the little form of her secret crush into her lap. "Kurama? Can you hear me?" Kurama gave a faint, little yip and Yukina smiled slightly. "You will be alright soon Kurama. Just hold on."

The door suddenly flew open and Yusuke and Koenma ran in. "How is he!" They both yelled, completely out of breath.

"Shut up you bakas!" Hiei hissed, looking back at the semi-conscious fox, "He needs to sleep."

"Sorry," the new arrivals whispered as they stepped up to Yukina. Kurama was still trembling in pain, but Yukina's cool hands felt very comforting on his sore bodoy. "He's looking better already," Koenma said with a little sigh of relief. Yusuke hesitantly reached out and touched the top of Kurama's head. When the fox barely moved, Yusuke slowly pet his head and scratched his silver ears.

Botan returned with a large bowl full of warm soapy water, a washcloth and a towel. Yusuke and Koenma both stepped back as Botan set the bowl and towel on the bed and handed the washcloth to Yukina. The ice apparition dunked the cloth in the water and wrung it out before starting to wipe the dried blood out of Kurama's fur. To Yukina's surprise, Kurama began to purr just loud enough for her to hear as she wiped off the blood.

After half an hour, Kurama's beautiful silver fur shined again, but every deep gash on his body could be seen clearly now. Botan knelt next to the bed and with shaky hands, began to bandage the wounds. The males watched quietly until the females finished. Kurama was finally sleeping quietly, with only a little whimper every once in awhile, in Yukina's arms. Yukina was so entranced by the little ball of fur wrapped almost nose to foot (as he doesn't have tails in human form, so they don't have any wounds), that she didn't even notice when Yusuke, Botan and Koenma exited the room.

Hiei watched his sister quietly for a few minutes as she pet the little fox with a loving gaze. He stepped down from the window and walked over to them. He looked at his slightly restless partner for a minute before looking at the aqua-haired woman. "You love him, don't you?"

Yukina's eyes shot up to him, her cheeks a deep scarlet. "Wh-what makes you say that Hiei?"

Hiei could barely keep from smirking, "You haven't let go of the fox since I brought him here. And I've seen the ways you look at him when in the same room." Yukina's blush deepened. "Do you love him?" Hiei asked again.

Yukina slowly nodded.

Hiei smiled slightly, "Good, because he loves you too."

Yukina looked back up at him, "Are you sure? I mean, why would he like me?"

Hiei was startled by her answer; who wouldn't like her? "He never goes anywhere without the hiruseki stone you gave him, and he gives you the exact same looks you give him; he is just able to hide them from the others a little better."

Yukina smiled, "I think I'll stay awake until I'm sure he is alright." Hiei nodded and walked out, leaving the young demon with the fox.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yukina woke with a jolt the next morning. (I fell asleep? Kurama!) She looked at her lap and sighed lightly. The silver youko was still there, sleeping quietly. (He stopped shaking, but he should eat something to help himself heal.) She slowly and gently laid the kitsune on the clean pillow and walked out of the room.

Yukina returned moments later with a bowl in hand, and was startled to see a pair of gold eyes looking back at her. "How do you feel Kurama?"

The youko gave a quiet yip, causing Yukina to frown slightly. "Still not too good? Your eyes look better." Kurama could now keep his sore eyes open, but he was still squinting badly. Yukina dimmed the lights as she walked over. "I brought you some soup, it should help a lot. You haven't eaten in three days." She sat again and set the bowl on the bed next to her.

Kurama slowly and gingerly got to his feet and walked up to the bowl. He slowly licked the soup and Yukina soon found herself stroking the soft, silver fur that hadn't been covered in bandages. She giggled when his four tails brushed against her hand and face.

When he finished, Kurama looked at the young demon in thanks and Yukina pulled him back in her lap. Kurama was just nodding off to sleep again, when he heard footsteps running toward them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The evil cliffies! They're back! Sorry everyone, but I have to stop here, cuz that's all the farther I've gotten past my beta right now. Newayz, as I have been saying foe awhile now, NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE LAST ONE!

KK, here are the awaited (maybe) reviewers' comments:

darksaphire: (Wipes away tear) Thank you so much. That is a really nice thing to say and I'm really glad you feel that way.

Kurama's Baby: I'm glad you're enjoying it. I hope this chappie was exceptional.

SilentSheWolf: Me no got bwain damage! J/k! And thanks for having me on your computer favorites, I'm glad you like it that much!

MikaSamu: "Beautifully" reviewed. LOL. I'm glad you liked those little details. I like them too, especially cuz I can picture the fox burying his nose in the cloak, and it was very cute!

SamuraiKai: Well…THANKS! A job well done is all that you all deserve for how great these reviews have been!

YamikiofAnime: Ew… GET IT OFF ME! J/K.

Tala ishtar, KaraKurama, lizzieXmarieXyoukai and IwuvMyKenshyPoo: Thank you all, sorry this is a little late, but I hope you liked it!

Thanx to all my loyal ppls. I'll get back as soon as possible.

Cya!

Kittyluv


	10. Yukina’s Thoughts and Surprises for All

Hi ya!

Sorry it's taken so long to get this to you; my life is getting REALLY hectic and this story has just seemed to have lost its spark in me. But I NEVER leave anything unfinished, so here it is!

N e wayz, this is the last chappie (sobbing) and it's mostly just a wrap up of everything and a lead into a sequel(?). Thanx to all who reviewed this story from the very beginning; it really brought up my courage to add a CSI story to TV Shows, and it's a HUGE hit! If ya like CSI, please check out that story too. Deadly Nightmare.

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu Yu Hakusho, I would NEVER have let them take it off the air! Gosh! says it should be airing again January 1, 2006, but that's too long of a wait!

XxX

Epilogue: Yukina's Thoughts and Surprises for All

XxX

"How is he?" Yusuke asked as he burst into the room, causing the little fox to jump from Yukina's lap to defend her.

Kurama jumped in front of Yukina and growled in his half awake state, but then seemed to sigh in relief and annoyance when Yusuke's blurry face came into view.

The Spirit Detective looked shocked at the reaction, "What was that all about Kurama?"

The youko just shook his head as he jumped back on the bed and lay down, breathing heavily.

Hiei had seen the whole thing from the door and walked in with an eyebrow raised. "Being a little protective kitsune?"

Kurama growled lightly in his speared throat and closed his eyes, clearly telling the others to drop the subject.

"Hn." Hiei walked up and, to everyone's surprise, sat on the bed next to the fox. Kurama looked up in confusion when he felt the corner of the bed lower from the added weight and looked straight at Hiei. The fox nearly jumped when Hiei gently scratched the top of Kurama's head.

"Stupid fox. You're going to get yourself killed one of these days, and I won't help you out of it."

Kurama could practically smell the lies, but he growled anyway, just to see what Hiei would do. Hiei grunted, then walked over to the window.

Yusuke looked from the fox demon, to the fire demon, then back again before giving up on the whole thing. (I'll never understand those two. Darn demons don't know when to give a guy a break so that he can understand 'em…) He then looked back to the bed. "How long d'ya think you'll be in that form Kurama?"

Kurama yipped quietly a few times and looked at Yukina. She smiled slightly, "He said at least today, and maybe tomorrow. He will transform back to his human form after he has regained enough energy."

Yusuke nodded and everyone fell quiet.

XxX

Soon after, Kurama fell back to sleep, so Yusuke and Hiei quietly left, leaving Yukina alone in the room.

She sat quietly with the little fox in her lap, running her fingers through the silky fur as she changed his bandages. (He is so beautiful in this form, just as in his other two.) Yukina blushed furiously at this thought. (Maybe Hiei is right. I guess I do have feelings for Kurama.) She soon let her thoughts slip away into peaceful sleep.

XxX

The first thing Yukina felt when she awoke the next morning, felt like soft silk.

(Kurama's fur. He's still here.)

She opened her eyes and gasped as her blurry vision showed the fur to be a fiery red. (No! Please not again!)She shrieked mentally, thinking Kurama was covered in blood again.

"Kurama!"

Emerald eyes snapped open and he jumped up, "Yukina! What's wrong?"

Now that she was fully awake, Yukina could see that what she had felt wasn't the fur of Youko Kurama, but the crimson hair of Suuichi Minamino.

"You are human again," she said happily.

Kurama looked startled for a minute, then looked at his arms and chest. "So I am. I must have gotten enough energy and transformed while we were asleep." His gaze slowly moved up to her, "Thank you Yukina. I wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for you."

Yukina blushed as she wrung the blankets in her hands. "I didn't do anything really."

Kurama's eyes widened at this statement. "Yukina, I may have been half blind, but I could still see. It was you who took care of me."

Yukina looked into his eyes, they were as bright and beautiful as ever. "You're back to normal," she whispered as she hugged him tight.

Kurama winced in pain, "Well, not quite."

Yukina jumped back. "I'm sorry. I don't know how I forgot."

"It's all right. It was an accident," Kurama assured her.

Yukina looked at the tattered and bloody clothes Kurama wore from the battle two days earlier. "You should probably change out of those clothes, they're completely ruined. Hiei brought these yesterday for you." She stepped off the bed and walked over to the table, where she picked up some clothes and handed them to Kurama.

Kurama smiled lightly; he lived in his own home now and his mother was out of town on business, so Hiei had to have picked the clothes. (I'm surprised he didn't pick any of my dark things.)"Thank you Yukina. I will not take long." He stood up slowly and walked to the adjoining bathroom.

(He's very balanced for being injured and having four paws for two days.)Yukina thought with a little hint of amusement. She sat quietly until the door opened again.

XxX

Kurama stepped back into the room in his new clothes; blue jeans, a yellow t-shirt with a red jacket on top and a pair of white sneakers. (The outfit he was wearing in the Chapter Black saga when they were at the hospital.) "We should probably go see the others before they barge in again," he said with a slight chuckle.

Yukina nodded, still looking the fox up and down. His clothing hid most of the bandages, except for the ones around his hands and neck, and he still seemed pale, meaning he needed more blood. But she smiled when she saw the tear gem hanging clearly around his neck.

(He kept it, and put it on a chain!) She thought happily. She shook her head slightly as she focused again. "D-do you think you should be walking around now? You still look pale."

Kurama smiled sweetly, "I'm still a little tired, but I will be fine. Let's go see the others, shall we?"

Yukina nodded and smiled.

XxX

Yusuke and Kuwabara were in the hallway when they met up with Koenma and Botan.

"Yusuke," Botan said in mock surprise, "I have never seen you come here willingly on your own so often."

"Ha, ha, ha," Yusuke grumbled, "We came to check on Kurama. How's he doin'?"

"We haven't been in there yet," Koenma said quietly, "But his energy seems to have improved greatly."

They opened the door to the office just as Yukina was walking out of the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Hey Yukina!" Kuwabara said cheerfully, causing the others to groan quietly, "How are you?"

Yukina smiled kindly. She knew about Kuwabara's crush (_coughobsessioncough_) on her, but she only saw him as a close friend. "I'm fine Kazuma, thank you for asking."

"How is Kurama?" Botan asked.

"Why don't you ask me for yourself?" A calm voice answered.

Everyone's gaze shot to the desk, where Kurama was leaning casually against it, a slight smile on his face.

"AHHH!" Kuwabara yelled as he fell backwards and hit his head against the wall, leaving a large bump. He quickly stumbled over to Yukina, grabbing the young maiden's hands in his own. "Oh Yukina, my sweet. Could you please fix Kazuma's little boo boo?"

Yukina looked at Kuwabara in slight annoyance for a minute, before she slowly answered. "Umm, sure Kazuma. Let me help you."

Yusuke sighed. _"Leave the poor girl alone. Can't you see she doesn't like you?"_ He shook his head and turned back around. "So fox-boy, you're not a fox anymore, (a/n: sorry, but I had to do it. **:D**) and you're not wearing your glasses. That a good sign?"

Kurama nodded, "It will take awhile longer for the whiplashes and scars to heal, but thanks to Yukina, I should be ready for the next case."

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Yusuke, Botan, Kuwabara and Yukina yelled at the same time.

"Are you seriously trying t' kill yourself Kurama!" Yusuke yelled as he came face-to-face with him.

Kurama answered him calmly, "No Yusuke, I'm not. But there are things to be done that only I can accomplish."

"Stop fighting it Detective, Kurama always wins in the end."

Everyone, but Kurama, jumped again and turned to the window.

Hiei was sitting on the sill, arms crossed, staring out the window as if he had been there the whole time. "I thought you would have learned that by now."

"Thank you Hiei," Kurama said lightly, "Someone who understands the terms of my arguments."

"SHORTY!" Kuwabara yelled, "What is it with you demons and scaring us?"

Yukina and Kurama laughed lightly and Hiei just gave a bored, "Hn."

Kuwabara gave an undignified grunt and tried to hold Yukina's hand again, but the female quickly moved her hands and moved slightly toward the window. She may not show it, but she could tell how protective Hiei was while around her; and she knew he wouldn't let Kuwabara near her again.

Koenma cleared his throat loudly. "Well, now that we know you are all right Kurama, I would like you to go home and rest. I'm sure Yusuke can handle everything for a few days."

Kurama held back a Youko-like growl and just nodded. "Of course, I will go home. Mother has probably called checking up on me by now."

He turned to leave, when a small hand gently grabbed his arm. He looked back to see Yukina. "Is there something wrong Yukina?"

Yukina blushed furiously as she quietly said, "Kurama, maybe I should stay with you tonight. To make sure you are alright."

Kurama raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "If you would feel better. But you should ask Hiei, I believe he came here to return you to Genkai's temple."

Yukina turned to Hiei and he could see how much she wanted to spend more time with the fox. Besides, he'd rather her spend time with Kurama than the big buffoon must I name names?.

"Hn, I don't care, it's your home kitsune."

Yukina's smile grew as she turned back to Kurama.

"Come, my lady," Kurama said politely as he slipped her arm through his and led her out the door.

Yusuke watched them leave, then turned back to the others. The detective doubled-over in laughter when he saw Kuwabara; mouth hung wide open and eyes just as wide, still focused on the door.

"Sorry Kuwabara," the detective gasped between fits of laughter, "But I think the fox has outfoxed you again." Pun totally intended. **D**

Kuwabara didn't know what to do; the girl he has a huge crush on, just left with one of his best friends. He did the manliest thing he could; he fainted.

XxX

Yukina looked around the cozy living room as Kurama closed the door behind them.

"This is a beautiful house Kurama."

"Thank you." Kurama set his jacket down on a chair, then turned back to Yukina. "Would you like me to show you a room?"

"Yes, please," Yukina said.

Kurama led her up the stairs and to the second door to the end.

Inside was a nice sized room; with a bed, desk, chair, and other pieces of furniture.

There was also another door to an adjoining bathroom.

"You are welcome to stay here as long as you'd like Yukina," Kurama said before he walked out of the room and opened the door at the end of the hall. "This is my room if you need anything."

Yukina nodded slightly as she looked at the ground. "Kurama, you wouldn't mind if I-lived here. Would you?"

Kurama was surprised by this; and for once, let it show. "Of course not. Is everything alright with Genkai?"

"Oh yes," Yukina immediately insisted, "Genkai is wonderful. But she said I should try and live somewhere that I could be closer to my friends."

Kurama smiled, desperately trying to keep his emotions under control. "I would love for you to live here. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Yukina smiled brightly as Kurama continued. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Yes, please."

Kurama led her back downstairs and Yukina slowly slipped her hand into his.

XxX

OK! That's it! I'm so sorry for such a long wait for such a crapy ending. It didn't end as I had expected, but at least it's done. I'm not sure about the sequal; I dunno if I want to do it or not. I'll see how I feel after I finish work on my CSI stories.

Thank you all for you great reviews, and your patience with the updations. Even though the story is done, I'd love to still receive reviews from this; no matter if you read this today, or five years from now. I always love to hear what others think about my work.

Love always

Kittyluv (Ali)


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